What I've Done
by invader-ipod26
Summary: No real explaination, you'll just have to read it.  RATE AND REVIEW PLEASE!
1. Chapter 1

I'm cursed. With what, you ask, a small portion of vampire blood that spreads through you like fire, if you ask AGAIN, the answer will be it isn't fun at ALL.

Nobody recognizes a vampire from a crowd. I mean, how could you? It's impossible! We blend right in and you never notice us. You're a bunch of ignorant hypocrites. Maybe hypocrite isn't the correct word, but let me say it this way: If you're afraid of blood or you want to sparkle, DO NOT BE A VAMPIRE. It's a job, you've got to hide every little thing and come up with an alibi for the smallest things like having allergies to your perfume/cologne when you really smell their blood.

I've exposed us. I am a backstabber and a cheat.

These were my only thoughts that day on stage.

He grabs my shoulder, "Eli, you can't do this. You're going to get yourself killed and I won't stand by that!"

I moved his hand, "You promised, though. You promised in front of everyone that I'D be your assistant since… well… You get the idea…"

"I won't let you." he pulled me in, choking me

"Darren, you know this is what I want! You wanted me to do it, why won't you let me!" I elbowed him in his ribcage in attempt to free myself and race to the stage, if I make it there, he won't be able to do anything to me.

"I won't let you!" he pounced on me as I waltzed out to stage. The crowd finally saw us. They gasped.

Two half vampires fighting to get on/off stage, that's not frightening.

"Darren let go!" I demanded, but he wouldn't "DARREN! WE'RE ON THE STAGE NOW."

He froze. The crowd stared at the monstrous display of fighting. We're out, might as well explain.

A girl shouted, "SEXUAL HARRASMENT!"

"NO! NO. I'm not being harassed!" I shouted, pushing Darren off me.

"Why don't you EXPLAIN what happened then, ELI?" Darren snarled, I flashed him a dirty look.

"Alright," I look at the crowd of 100-200 people. I swallow hard, all my memories flashed before my eyes. all my family I watched be killed before they got to me. All the lies and the secrets, the scandalous and the admirable. The fights we won and the battles we lost, the gain and the death. I wish I could take it back, take it all back and I'd still be in my room, lamenting about my pointless existence instead of sneaking out and seeing things I shouldn't have. I wouldn't have met Darren, I wouldn't have become a vampire, I wouldn't need to hide.

I take another breath and let the words roll off my tongue, "_I am a vampire." _


	2. Chapter 2: Rewind

_REWIND: 1 YEAR PRIOR; CHRISTMAS EVE_

"ELITRIA LILIUM THOMPSON! YOU BETTER GET YOUR BUTT DOWN HERE NOW!" read the text on my phone. It's Christmas Eve and my WHOLE family is packed in our little 2 story cottage. I begged mom to let me go with Amanda to her Christmas party but she said no, as usual.

I text back, "I am NOT going down there." Anyone in their right minds would've stayed home and waited for Santa. Not my family. Its two days full of bad fruit cake, 'BONDING' time with my 6 year old cousins and crappy TV specials.

What I wouldn't give to be with Amanda.

The phone buzzes, speak of the devil. "HEY GURLL! Sorry you couldn't come with! The ski lodge is 2 fun! !"

"I bet. ." I text back, I guess I'd rather take the "Christmas cheer" instead of my best friend bragging. I slip on a skirt and a red blouse and slide down the stairs. Mom says it's not lady-like, Eli says it's the funnest toy in the house.

Correction, full name tonight: ELITRIA. Ugghhh, who came up with that? Some Indian priest?

I walk into the living room, nobody really looks over. My cousins are happy to see me. They race to me and hug my legs; I'm the tallest 8th grader they know. Not to mention the ONLY one.

"ELI! WE MISSED YOU!" the twins scream.

I blush, "thanks." I pry them away before they get to my skirt.

My only mature younger cousin comes running to me, holding a big book in her hands, "Hey! Eli! Over here!"

I look over, oh thank you Joy for saving me; I walk up to her, "Hi Joy, what's that?"

She reveals the book, "It's my dad's early gift to me since he had to leave for his trip so soon," she opens it up, "do you believe in vampires?"

I examine the book cover,_ VAMPIREOLOGY _it read, "You know these books aren't real."

"Yes they are!" she debates. We quarrel for a minute.

Uncle Larry shouts from beside the fireplace, "WE NEED MORE FIRE! We're all out!"

My mom grieves over the situation; she searches the crowd for my face, "Elitria, dear, could you do me a favor?" reluctant as I am, I go to her, " There a man at the front of the neighborhood selling firewood, gets 20 dollars worth and take the wagon."

Only my mother would send me alone with a wagon this late at night.

As evil as I make it sound, I go anyway. Bring my boots, hat, gloves, scarf and jacket. It's 10 degrees outside and I'm not THAT crazy.

But that night, I could've easily said otherwise and had fooled you.


	3. Chapter 3: The Battle

The man at the front of the neighborhood gives me 6 pounds of wood for mom's 20 dollars. That's a fair deal. I trudge home when more snow begins to fall. I stop to yell to the heavens, "YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY? I just wanna go home…" the street lights flicker off. PER-FECT, "ARE YOU REALLY DOING THIS TO TICK ME OFF!"

"I find it actually quite funny." I freeze. One streetlight turns on, revealing a husky figure covered in a black cloak. A second figure spawns from behind.

The second whispers to the first, "That's some nice firewood."

"You're not getting any!" I shout, defending my wagon.

They chuckle, "not THAT firewood." They creep closer but the icy wind blows back their hoods revealing monstrous, bloody, purple disgust. I open my mouth to scream but they're quicker to cover it. I flail my arms and kick my legs in attempt to free myself, but they push my face to the snow-caked pavement and pin back my arms and legs.

Then I hear a chuckle.

"Don't you think harassment of little girls in the middle of the road is a little… cliché?" another figure hops down from a lamppost. That kind of jump would've broken my leg or arm, yet… he glided down like a majestic red bird. He comes under our light, "what could such a pretty face have done to you?" he jokes.

"Back off, Larten, this is OUR kill." Black cloak number one jumps to his feet.

"Wanna bet?" red coat gambles his life and mine now. All the street lights are out and I am thrown across the road, I land beside a fire hydrant.

They fight it out but I can't see… there's no light, only noises. Snapping, skidding, growling and grunting. A dark shadow lands beside me, it isn't the red coat they called Larten though. This boy looks too young. "Who are you? You're not one of the bad guys are you?" I whisper

"No, I'm not. I'm on your side." He slips something into my hand. The handle of the wagon, "come on." He helps me to my feet and we race down the hill back to my house.

"Not on my watch!" the black cloak shouts and he leaps into the air and pounces on me. I yelp in pain.

"Let her go!" Larten shouts and he grabs his hood and throws him into the backyard of Mr. Jenkins's yard. Quickly he regains himself and bounds over the gate. He releases a battle cry and leaps for the red coat. He crouches over me to defend my nimble shaking body.

We're both going to die here.

A whoosh comes from over head and lands on the head of the hideous black coat. An arrow, I realize.

"Damn vampanese." The other boy curses, "I thought there were two of them."

"There were, the other one fled." He gets up off me and dusts off the snow. "Nice work with the streetlights, Darren. Keeping it all an illusion, eh?"

"Yep." He stretches his arms nonchalantly, then he looks at me. I'm too scared to even get up, hey extends his hand, I take his arm.

"Th-thank you…. for saving my life…" I whisper, shaking the snow out of my scarf. Darren smiles in return.

The cold wagon handle meets my hand again, "This was rolling away." Larten says.

I shiver, "thank you too." He hands me my hat, I blush, "Must've flown off." I put it back on.

"You can't tell anyone what happened tonight." Darren states, he looks to his 'master', "Crepsley, she needs an alibi."

"What's the plan-?"

Larten presses into my neck, I topple over and pass out.

"She's not allowed an alibi; she's not allowed to know this night existed."

The last words replay over and over.

Larten Crepsley and Darren Shan saved my life that night.

I wasn't allowed to know, but I wasn't not allowed to remember.


	4. Chapter 4: Terror Continues

Once I had woken up, it hadn't been much later; I was out for 10 minutes tops. When I looked around, all I saw were the skid marks in the snow and an outcropping pile of snow, burying the body of the dead 'vampaneze' or whatever they had called it. The end of the arrow poked out from the peak.

I look down the street; my wagon has made it half way to my house before I even got there. I quickly follow. I stop to look behind me; the only thing left from tonight was that pile of snow. When the street sweepers find that, suspicions will arouse but certainly not toward me.

I enter the house, speckled in snow, mom looks over and smiles, "it's about time, dear." She smiles, i don't.

She takes the wood and shoves it into our fireplace, instantly, cold hands and feet crowd around it. Joy is waiting, she observes me, "What happened to your stockings?" she asks indicating the think break on the leg of them.

Oh crap… "I snagged in on the axel of the wagon," I pull down my skirt, trying to cover up. She doesn't believe it. I can't say I blame her.

The break ends quickly. I spent it all on crappy cartoons and sleepless nights. Sleepless nights pondering over blood hungry, deadly creatures that will try to kill me. They saved me. I never said more than my shy and simple thank you, that wasn't enough. One night I tried to find them, but I hopelessly failed before I climbed out the window, there was a terrible blizzard outside and my window was frozen shut.

But now I was in school, hopelessly doodling on my desk, trapped in a haven and a hell. Amanda came prancing through the door, cheery and her hair bleached a tone lighter than before she left.

She lands next to my desk, "HI HOE!"

"Hi, " I reply, "It's another boy isn't it?"

"DUH! His names Brian this time..." She twirls her hair around her pink fingernail, "Don't you love being in love?"

"Better than being obsessed…" I mumble she's so lucky, sometimes; guys look at her just by hearing her talk. Sometimes they're dirty looks but she doesn't care. But the boy she REALLY likes is Roderick. I won't get in depth about him since he has no importance to me but I'll say this; He is absolutely the most sparkly guy you'd ever see (HE'S GAY-LOOKING FOLKS!). And I hate him. Nobody else does.

Talking of which, he glides into the room with a lacrosse net-on-a-stick in his hand, he glimmers in fake sweat. "Sorry I kept you waiting ladies, lacrosse practice took forever." His voice twinkles.

"Liar." I mutter. Lacrosse doesn't start until spring.

"Isn't he gorgeous?" Amanda squeals as she walks up to join the pack of girls who are WASTING their time.

"Isn't he gay?" I snarl.

They look at me. "Say that again." Roderick growls, _I don't have to listen to you, _I think. He gets in my face, his breath reeks of… of… BLOOD... It reminds me of that night, it reminds of the vampaneze… I swallow hard. I had to get away.

I jab my knee into his ribcage and push him out of the way, he falls to the desk top then to the ground. The fans gasp; I stare with disbelief but am too preoccupied trying to get it out of my head. I race down the halls, practically throwing jerks out of my way. I stop in the west wing bathroom. I throw off my backpack, undo the top two buttons of my shirt and… HACK into the low-budget toilet. Nothing… Just shaking and the chills, is it possible to get hypothermia without being outside? I don't think so.

I have to get that night out of my mind. I've got to have another life threatening experience to dwell on. Anything but this one… vampaneze don't exist, Larten Crepsley and Darren do not exist, I ripped my tights on the wagon axel, I don't believe in vampires but I couldn't tell Joy.

Things I tried to convince to myself.

Things that I just couldn't believe…

I was in the west wing bathroom up until the late buses drove off. Guess who walked home that night.

I trudged through the hallways and to the entrance of the school. One car remained in the parking lot, license plate #: DES TINY. Whatever, I tried not to notice it but it was following me.

The backseat window rolled down, "need a ride?" I didn't stop to acknowledge, it got against the curb, slicing up their tires, "Last chance." I pretended I didn't see. It backed up and drove onto the sidewalk. Almost ran over my foot. Two black cloaks pulled me in and pinned back my arms.

I struggled, "Persistent, aren't you?" I grumble.

A big man taps his rings together, "Now, Eli, was it? I'd like to talk to you about your confrontation with Larten and Master Shan."


	5. Chapter 5: DES TINY

"I don't have to say anything to you. It's a free country, y'know." I sneer.

He looks at me with disgust. "Be that as it may, but not for long," The car's tired halted on the snow-plowed pavement. They swung me out quicker than the door could open. Lying there in the snow, I reached into my pocket for my phone and tried to dial 911.

"Subjugate the phone." Mr. Tiny demanded. Not only did they take it, they slammed me on the ground, crushed the phone and sprinkled the remains over me. I spit a wire out of my mouth.

Wow. I never thought I'd say that. But in your last moments, you think of everything you never had to say or wanted to.

"Any last words?" his henchman asked. No, I have nothing left to say to you.

"Yeah, I have a few. Put the girl down and leave!" that voice sounded oddly familiar. I looked up as Crepsley came gliding down, his red bird self drop-kicking my holder and scooping me up.

"You just can't give it up, can you." Mr. Tiny grumbled.

"No, I can't. Damn proud that I won't. Now why don't you just 'give it up'?" he sneered back.

"Because I'm not afraid to let go, you shouldn't be, either."

"I hold on to things I know I can withstand, unlike you."

"Wanna bet?" Mr. Tiny snarled, grabbing my arm tightly.

"Not today, Desmond." Larten replied, pulling me back. If I looked today, I'd still find two claw marks followed by bruises on both of my arms.

"When you change your mind, which you will, I'll be here waiting for you to give it up." The fat man climbed back into his car, the two henchmen following.

Watching his car float away, I wondered what would become of my destiny.

"Come on, you're coming with me." Larten led me away front the bits of phone scrap and car tracks.

He wasn't going to take me home, we were far into downtown. At night, it looked like the fireflies had come out and napped on the clouds of puffy snow. I always loved being around here, but I wasn't sure why I was here now. I peered into the frosty coffee shop window; there were girls around my age crowded with binders and textbooks on the small coffee table, gossiping and sipping hot lattes with whipped cream. I felt hunger clamp down inside me and I stumbled on the flat ground.

Only a klutz like me could do that.

Crepsley stopped and helped me up, "You should be more careful." He examined the fresh cut on my cheek, he sighed, "I'll take you to the hotel, but that's IT." He grabbed my hand and whisked me away in another direction.

The girls from the coffee shop watched me. Amanda was with them; she looked at me and waved. I shyly encouraged I saw her, hoping it wouldn't be the last time.

_I was hoping he would have left me in the snow. Left me to be killed, things would've been easier._

_I was hopelessly wrong._


	6. Chapter 6: The Hotel

The hotel was nice, their room was nicer. I sat in the main room, tracing the edges of a wine glass filled with water in angst. They were arguing in the other room, talking about Mr. Tiny and what they were supposed to do with me. When silence dawned, Crepsley walked out, "Allies of mine will be here to talk this over. I suggest you do not leave unless you know what's good for you"

Silence… "Yes sir." I nodded. He booted out Darren and slammed the door of the bedroom. He looked at me and sat on the loveseat perpendicular to mine.

He glared at me then looked at the ground, "What on Earth could Mr. Tiny want with you?"

"I know about as much as you do," I sighed, "Does he hate me?"

"Who? Crepsley? Nah, your case just confuses him. He makes it his job to keep whatever Tiny wants away from him because there's usually reasoning behind it."

"And you can't figure out that reasoning?"

"BINGO." He grabbed the remote, "But I think it's unfair that he takes it out on me, I mean, what did I do? I'm a former target!"

"Maybe because you're his **son?**"

He froze. "That old bastard isn't my father. He pulled me away from my family and for what? To 'protect' me?" he pressed power and the TV guide channel came up.

"y-you think he'll do that to me?" I worried.

"We'll see-

The doorbell rang. What kind of hotel has a DOORBELL? Crepsley dawned from his room and opened the door before we could take notice to the sound. Two finely dressed men glide in.

"Good evening, Master Shan… and guest." The first one greeted, big forehead, black hair. Not very distinct to me, I mean, I don't intend on seeing him again.

"Tall, Gavner, this way, we have MUCH to talk about." He looked straight into the eyes if the fearful, lonely girl resigning on his couch.

Me.

I fell asleep there and I dreamt of shadows, shadows in dark, Victorian dresses with up done hair and sparkling empty eyes. The only life in the room was me at the top of the banister in a Marilyn Monroe-type dress, but RED, blood red… Luscious red… I seemed to be alone. Every empty face watching my every move like a hawk, it scared me.

The doors broke open and a thousand cardinals flew in, destroying each gawking dancer with a beat of their wings leaving me alone with the last shadow.

This shadow was distinct. A red slash scathed his left cheek and eye both of which were covered by the brim of a top hat. 

"Hello father." I whispered.

"Hello daughter." He replied.

The conversation continued but was drowned away by the sound of beating bird's wings. I begged my mind to let me hear him… but you can only do so much in a dream like this.

The cardinals dragged me away from him, I tried to stop them. All I remember now was screaming, my screaming of two words. Two words I couldn't make out.

Curse this damned dream, I say.

"hey, you even alive over there?" the voice blurred, "Eli?" the image cleared out, Darren.

"Hey… what happened?" I asked, stretching my arms.

"They've decided."

The bedroom door creaked open, "We welcome you."

"welcome me where?"

"Not where. AS." As what?

"As what?" I inquired.

_I prayed my ears were bleeding, I prayed that I was still in the dream, I prayed he was lying. But I never get what I want._

_I was welcome into it open arms and blood-crusted smiles._

"As a vampire!"


End file.
